Vapor-bath cabinet.



1. R. WRGHT.

VAPOR BATH CABNE. APPLICATION man ocT. 19. 1914.

Patented June 26, 19W.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

J. R. WRlGHT.

VAPOR BATH CABINET.

APPLlc/mon man ocT. x9. 1914.

l. 23 l ,466, Patented June 26, 1917.

2 SHEETS#SHEET 2.

2 Witwe/Joao UNITED STAIF VJ'AlVlElS R. WRIGHT, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

VAPOR-BATH CABINET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented @I une 26, 1917.'

Application filed October 19, 1914. Serial'No. 867,357.

To all foo/wm t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES R. WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of Denverand State of Colorado, haveinvented certain newI and useful Improvements in Vapor-Bath Cabinets;and I do declare the'following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make `and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in vapor bath cabinets, my objectbeing to provide a construction possessing a number of features ofnovelty and a number of advantages over other so-called cabinetsintended to accomplish a similar object. In my improvement, the bodymember is ap proximately cylindrical in shape, and the cover or lid iscircularly slidable when open and in parallel relation with one side ofthe casing, thus concealing the lid. The cabinet is further provided onone side with a hinged longitudinally disposed door which is normallyheld in the closed position by means of spring clips arranged at w theopposite ends of the structure, but is adapted to be swung downwardly inorder to allow the patient to readily enter or leave the cabinet. Byvirtue of this peculiar design of cabinet, the latter occupiescomparatively little space and it may be located in the middle of a roomor in any other desired locality.

Another novel feature of the construction consists of a head rest havingtwo adjustments, namely, a vertical adjustment whereby the entire headrest structure may be moved up or down at will; and-a pivotal adjustmentwhereby the. head rest proper may be adjusted upon the holder in orderto get an inclination suitable to conform to the comfort ofthe patient.In'the lower part of the cabinet below the platform upon which thepatient reclines during the treatnient. is located a perforated pipecomposed of a number of sectionsreadily separable. One of these sectionsis directly connected with the gas heater which vaporizes the liquidpreparation to which the body of the patient is subjected while takingthe bathp `This section naturally is subjected to much greater heat thanthe sections farther removed from the heater, and conscquently, willbecome worn, due to the eX- cessive heat and will require replacementmore often than the other sections farther removed from the heat source.Hence, by this additional construction of the perforated pipe or tube,the entire tube need not be discarded when the portion in closeproximity to the heater must be removed.

Having brielly outlined my improvement, I will proceed to describe thesame in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawing, inwhich is illustrated an embodi ment thereof. In this drawing,-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved vapor bath cabinet, showingthe top lid of the side door open. This view is taken looking in thedirection of arrow 1, Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken approximately on theline 2 2, Fig. 4, showing the top lid and the side door both closed.

Fig. 3 is a closed section taken on the line 3-3, Fig. 1, looking towardthe left.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 1 -4, Fig. 2, looking' toward theright.

. The same reference: characters indicate the same parts in all theviews.

Let the numeral 5 designate a casing approximately cylindrical in shape.The rear portion of this casing merges into parallel. verticallydisposed side parts 6, which at their lower extremities in turn mergeinto downwardly inclined members 7, which in connection with similarlyinclined end parts S, constitute a sort of hopper-shaped bottom whichfacilitates the removal of the liquid resulting from vapor condensed inthe cabinet. Leading downwardly from the center of this hopper-shapedlower portion of the casing, is a drain pipe 9, which may be connectedwith the sewer. The upper cylindrical part of the casing is providedwith a top lid or cover 10, which is curved to conform to the curve ofthe rear side wall 12 of the casing, and is adapted to slide intoengagement therewith when the lid is open (see Figs. 1 and 3). This lidis equipped at its forward extremity with an end member 13 which partlycloses the front end of the cabinet. The inner edge 16 of this member 18is providedwith an outwardly projecting liange 14, which engages asimilar flange 15 formed upon the stationary end member, and acting as aguide to the lid during its sliding movement as 1t 1s opened andDclosed. `lTheflange forms a bearing for the forward extremity of theslidable lid while the oppositeA extremity of the latter is 'equippedwith a Vry ber is pivotally connected with the rear end wall of thecasing, as shown at 20. The outer edge of the end wall 21 has, aninwardly projecting flange 22 which forms a guide for the rear extremityof the lid and the latter is thus maintained in operative relationwiththe casing, and secured against longitudinal movement in a rearwarddirection (see Fig. '2). l j .Y

vThe end member 13 of the lid is provided with a rod 23', theextremities of the rod being secured to the part 13, while its bodyportion is offset therefrom (see Figs. 1 and 2)whereby the rod isadapted to hold va Y towel. This rodv is sopositio'ned that during theoperation of taking the bath, the towel,

which is supported by the rod, hangs downwardly 'and engages the neck ofthe patient, thus preventing the heat from the interior of the cabinetVfrom passing to the face land head of the patient.

The lid 10 is further provided with an opening 24 which is adapted to beclosed by an interiorly located slide 25 whose edge engages offsetguides 26 which form grooved ways for the opposite edges of the slide,the latter being provided with an exteriorlylocated projection 27, tofacilitate its manipulation. I By moving this slide to the openposition, the temperature within the cabinet may be reduced if it shouldbecome too hot. Again, by moving the slide to the op'en position, thepatient may be treated by the use of a shower or spray, as may bedesired. l

The yfree longitudinal 'edge of the lid 10 is provided with an outwardlyprojecting flange 28 whilefthe end part 13 isprovided with an exteriorlyprojecting flange 29 which rests upon ashoulder '30 formed upon thefront en'd of the casing, which is reinforced by an interior plate 31,thus giving this part of the casing a. thickness equal to the thicknessof the interiorly projecting guide flange 15. This reinforcement 31gives additional strength and stability to the structure. l l

The casing further provided on one side with a door 32:hinged at 33 andnormally held in the closed position by a pair of spring c'li'ps 321;rwhicl'rare secured tothe opposite end I wallsjof `the casing. The free,longitudinal edge 'of this door is equipped with an out'- wfardlyprojecting flange 35, which,l when the 'door is closed, abuts against,the flange 28 ofthe lid 10.' The llongitudinal edge of this `door 32 isequipped slightly above the hinge .when the door is in the closedposition, `withvla 1j1b.3,6wh1ch, when the door 1s in the open position,is located at the lower part of the side opening which the door closes.This rib forms a rounded bearing for the limbs of the patient as heleaves the cabinet, thus preventing the annoyance which would. attend.the engagement of the limbs with the relatively thin edge of the doorwhich would otherwise exist. When the door is in the open position, thisrib or rounded part 36 extends slightly above the hinge 33 of the door,and thus -forms a comfortable support for the body while leaving orentering the cabinet. This rib 36 also forms a seal to prevent theescape of liquid. Adjacent the flange 28, located along the freelongitudinal edge of the lid as heretofore explained, isp0sitioned anexteriorly projecting hand piece37, w'hichpis suitably secured to thelid as, by riveting the inner extremities ofthis hand piece on theinside of the lid after they have been passed through openings formedtherein for the purpose.

Within the cabinet fand. located near lthe bottom of the cylindricallycurved walls thereof, is a platform 3S upon which the body ofthe patientrests while taking the bath. As illustrated inthe drawing, this platformis composed of a series of slats or relatively 'narrow pieces 'of vwoodor other suitable Amaterial N39 which are `suitably spaced as shownY at40, and connected by a number of transversely arranged ribs 41, which,as illustrated in the drawing, are composed of metal, the rib membersbeing formed of two thicknesses bent to engage each other, the ribshaving flanges 42 extending in both directions from the body of the rib,the flanges being secured .to the slats or members 39 by suitablefastening devices. These ribs ymay be composed kof copper, aluminum.,o-r other suitable metal that will not corrode or be injuriouslyaifected bythe action of the sulfur or lother vaporized chemicalsemployed in treating the patient. This platform is supported by a rod 43whose opposite extremities Aare fast in the end walls of the cabinetI"and suitably spaced from the curved walloppositely located from thcdoor 32, whereby the platform may lbe raised to the position shown byYdotted lines in Fig. 3 and supported by the rod in such raised positionduring the cleaning of the cabinet. As the platform is raised as stated,its free Aedge 4:4 moves downwardly below the rod and supports it in theraised position, as will beV understood. The edge 45 of the platform korthat adjacent the door 32 when the parts are in position for use, issupported by exteriorly projecting' angle members 46.

Below the'platform 38 is located and suitably supported, a lperforatedpipe 47, which 13o is centrally located and longitudinally disposed inthe cabinet. As illustrated in the drawing, the forward extremity ofthis pipe engages a supporting bracket 48, while the opposite extremityis provided with a short depending member 49 which enters a pipe member50 which extends upwardly into the cabinet and also exteriorly thereof,as shown at 51. The lower extremity of the part 5l extends outwardly asshown at 52, forming a sort of inverted funnel and constituting theupper portion of the heater 53,- whose lower or body portion 54 containsliquid 55 to be vaporized. Underneath the bottom of the part 54 islocated a burner 56, which is supplied with fuel, as gas, through aconduit 57, controlled by a valve 4.

The pipe 47 as illustrated in the drawing, is composed of threesections, respectively designated 58, 59 and 60. The part 58 is providedwith the short depending member 49, which enters the upwardly projectingtubular part of the heater, as heretofore explained. The part 60 isforwardly located, the forward extremity resting directly upon thebracket 48; while the extremities of the section 59 respectively enterthe adjacent extremities of the two sections 58 and 60. In this manner,the three sections of the pipe are held in the assembled relation. Theopposite extremities of this pipe or the outer ends of the sections 58and 60, are provided with closures or caps 61. The lower portion of thispipe 47 is perforated below its horizontal diameter as shown at 62. Asillustrated in the drawing, a number of longitudinally disposed rows ofperforations are formed. By reason of these perforations, vapor isdischarged downwardly from the pipe and directed into the lower portionof the cabinet, and rises upwardly on opposite sides following the innercurved surfaces of the cabinet, the two currents meeting at the top andbeing directed downwardly upon the patient. In this way, the latter issubjected to the best possible influence.

As illustrated in the drawing, the heater is supported in a cage orskeleton frame work 63, which is secured to the bottom of the casing andsuspended therefrom. This structure is such that the heater may bereadily removed and placed in position during the setting up and takingdown of the cabinet.

Exteriorly applied to the forward extremity of the structure, is a headrest 64, which consists of a supporting arm 65 and a head rest member66. This arm 65 is slidably connected with a stationary arm 67, rigidlysecured exteriorly to the forward lower part of the cabinet, as sho-wnat 68, by means of a set bolt 69. which is fitted in an opening in thearm 65 and passes through a slot 89 formed in the part 67. The upperportion of the arm l65 is bent outwardly `and channeled as shown at 70,the side flanges 7l being perforated to receive a set bolt 72 which alsopasses through a registering opening formed in a depending lug or ear 73which is secured to the bottom of the head rest as shown at 74.

The upper surface of this head rest is suitably upholstered and itsextremity adjacent the cabinet is provided with a short dependingopen-ended tube 75, through which perspiration or other liquid which maybe applied to the head or face of the patient, may pass and enter a tube76 whose outer extremity is suitably flared for the purpose. This tube76 passes through an opening in the lower front end wall of the cabinetand projects slightly thereinto for drainage purposes, as shown at 77.The threaded extremities of the set bolts 69 and 72 are provided withwinged nuts 78 and 79. B y loosening the nut 78, the head rest may beraised and lowered bodily, while by loosening the nut 79, the head restmay be turned on the bolt 72 as a pivot, whereby any desired inclinationof the head rest may be obtained, according to the wish or comfort ofthe patient.

From the foregoing description, the use and operation of my improvedvapor bath cabinet will be readily understood. Assuming that the lid l0of the door 32 is open, (see Figs. l and 3), the patient enters thecabinet and reclines upon the platform 38 with his head engaging thehead rest member 66. In this event, the neck of the patient occupies thelower portion of the opening 80 in the forward end of the cabinet. Thewall of this opening, when the lid l0 1s 1n the open position, is freein the top to allow the neck of the patient to pass freely therethrough.Assuming that the body of the patient is positioned as just described,the lid l0 of the door 32 will be closed (see Figs. 2 and 4). Beforeclosing the lid l0, a towel 8l is placed upon the rod 23 and when thelid is closed, this towel engages the neck of the patient on the insideof the cabinet, and thus guards the face and head from the heat or vaporwhich otherwise would come in contact therewith. This towel may bedampened or wet according to the desire or comfort of the patient. Assoon as the cabinet is closed, the burner 56 is lighted and through theinstrumentality of the heater, the liquid 55 is vaporized, thetemperature within the cabinet at the same time being raised to such anextent as to produce free perspiration at the same time that themedicated vapors are brought in contact with the body, thus producing adouble therapeutic effect, namely, that due to the perspiration, wherebythe impurities are discharged from the body; and the inuence of themedical properties of the vaporized liquid which enter the pores of thebody which are in condition therefor due to the free perspiration. Othertreatment, as by spraying the body by the use of a conduit passedthrough the opening 24, mayY be employed, if desired at any stage of thetreatment.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is,-

l. A bath cabinetcomprising a casing and a platform located therein, arod fixed at the ends of the easing and forming a support fo'l1 Atheplatform near one edge thereof, whereby vwhen the 'opposite edge of theplatform is raised, the edge nearer the rod will move downwardly betweenthe rod and the adjacent wall of the casing, whereby the rod willsupport the platform in the raised position. 4

2. 'A bath cabinet comprising a easing 'and Copies f this patent may beobtained for a platform located therein, a rod fixed at vthe end of thecasing and forming a support for the platform near one edge thereof,whereby, when the opposite edge of the platform is raised, the edgenearer the rod will move downwardly between the rod and the adjacentwall of the casing, whereby the rod will support the platform in theraised position,-the casing being provided with a support for the edgeof the platform remote from the rod, -substantially as described. p

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.Y y

JAMES R. WRIGHT. Witnesses:

MAZE KIRBY, A. EBERT OBRIEN.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington,D. C.

